We Don't Want Ads, We Want Art

Applauding unauthorized public art. More!

http://www.cronicasbarbaras.com/2009/04/we-dont-want-ads-we-want-art.html

Courtesy TP at work.

Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill

The latest from Banksy, can't wait to go once I get my life back!

Waterfall Rap

Well, a little vulgar, but still pretty funny.

Mexican Weekend

The margaritas should be as large as a neurosurgeon's head - Mexican proverb

Not infrequently, it occurs to me that I'm a member of a unique generation, for whom two things are true. I can remember life without email and web browsing and I can remember a time when ethnic food was exotic in a strange way, not an exciting way. When it was harder to keep in constant touch with faraway people, particularly in the frivolous, everyday way allowed by email and Flickr and blogs and the lot. And when sushi was something that only New York yuppies or California weirdos ate, and where, if you grew up in the suburbs, you were lucky to have a single greasy Chinese place serving pu-pu platters and a Taco Bell. A time, the 80s, specifically, before the two great themes of our generation became manifest: globalization and the Intenret.

One strange remnant of this disconnected provincialism held over into New York when I first arrived here eight years ago: it was hard to find really good Mexican food. Why?

It didn't really make any sense, but it was almost a truism. And not even in comparison to the excessive pride that San Francisco takes in its burritos. Even compared to the odd Mexican restaurant that you might find at the bottom of Federal Hill in Providence, or on California Avenue in Palo Alto.

No more.

Unplanned, but not unappreciated, I spent a weekend eating Mexican food recently, and I can heartily recommend two New York venues.

First, Nolita's Cafe El Portal, which I visited with friends following after work drinks. Cozy, inexpensive, and quite delicious (at least if you're hungry and a little drunk), the real winning touch is that, while waiting to seat you in their small, sunken dining room, they will bring you frozen margaritas in plastic cups for you to enjoy on the sidewalk. Drinks on the sidewalk. Ole!

Second, Brooklyn's Hecho En Dumbo, in my favorite neighborhood, for its feel of secret abandon. Traditional Mexican fare, classed up in that way that certain neighborhood's demand. Also, atmospheric in the right ways. Not everything was a home run, but the sopas with crab meat were delicious, and the spicy pork tacos were the bomb.

Finally, worth a mention, less for the food than the frozen margaritas, the venue, the crowd, the green-friendly ethic, is Habana Outpost. Go there after a summer rain, where it's not as crowded, everything is just as good, and there's likely to be a MeetUp.

Musical Theater

My intention was to see more theater. Actors, treading the boards. Sweat and spittle and human emotions. What I had foolishly imagined, when purchasing tickets for the Civilians' Gone Missing at a little downtown theater and Black Watch at St. Ann's Warehouse, was grit. Stark, raving grit. Maybe something akin to the time when Charlie took the nerds of Head of the Class to see a production of Hamlet, and it was modernized, and vital, and harrowing, and terrible. What I was expecting was something like that, minus the modernized, and the terrible. What I got, instead, were two very engaging and enjoyable performances, but, both, surprisingly musicals!

Eventually, I am going to praise both shows. First, I am going to state my shock and dismay that everything these days, apparently, has to be a musical - with both song and dance, even if the dance is Devo-inspired. I guess it's 2007. I guess, and I think ED laughed as she said it, I should read the reviews. I was trying not to spoil anything.

So, Gone Missing. This show had two non-performance related highlights. First, JWW and JZ, who came down from the slumberbs to join me at the show, well, what's the best way to describe their behavior? Like released prison inmates? Sailors on furlough? They hit the city around 5, I gathered, and by the time I met them for dinner at 7, the were tipsy. Two margaritas and dinner later, when we rolled into the theater, they were ready for naps. And they did not hesitate in taking them. Not even to be disturbed by the second highlight, the gaggle of ladies directly behind us, who put their bodies' alcohol content to the use of loudly commenting on how good a performer their sister was, throughout the show. Now, these two highlights were complemented nicely by the show, itself. Their sister, who I believe played the Puerto Rican junk yard owner, among people, was excellent. And the dream-like qualities of the non-linear narrative arcs allowed my friends to drift in and out of the show with little damage done.

About Gone Missing, in brief. The shows origin, as I understand, comes from a multitude of taped interviews that the troupe conducted with people - family, friends, acquaintances, strangers - asking the question "What have you lost?" The lost thing having to qualify as a thing, not a loved one or a memory. The show then compiled the best of those interviews, with the six players, three men and three women, occupying the roles of multiple characters, intertwining their fragmented narratives with songs, a re-enacted Terry Gross interview, and a few off-kilter dance numbers. Each wearing a nondescript gray suit, all against the backdrop of an empty stage. All in all, I enjoyed the show quite a bit. The character sketches and anecdotes were compelling, sometimes sad, sometimes touching, sometimes funny. The performers were all talented, and inhabited their charges with ease.

Black Watch was also an engaging performance, although quite a different production. ED and I were pleased to see Liam Neeson and a somewhat suspect Tom Wolfe-like character (must every bird-like, white-haired man in a white suit be Tom Wolfe?) in the audience with us. The play, performed by the National Theater of Scotland, recounted the experiences of the Black Watch, one of Scotland's army regiments with a long and illustrious history, through their tours of duty in Iraq, ultimately ending in the disassembling of the regiment.

Told largely from the perspective of the young soldiers comprising a unit in the regiment, both during and after their tours of duty in the war, the play takes its power largely from the pitch-perfect performances of the soldiers -- young, rough, but jaded by and guarded due to their wartime experience, reflective in uneven measures, emboldened and scarred both -- and a riveting climax sequence which relates a scene in which the patrol of the young soldiers, up until now largely spectators in the war, fall victim to a car-bomb attack on their patrol. As the opening lines of the play relate, most people already have their mind made up about this war. I don't know if this play will likely change anyone's mind, but it does a wonderful job of relating the story, theatrically, from the inside. The play is also extremely effective in placing the regiment's role in the war in the context of its proud history, and its changed relationship to the Scottish public, through the overlays of media exposure, political posturing, and a new type of fighting which has changed the nature of armed conflict itself.

A couple of interpretive dance numbers aside (both of which ED found compelling, one of which I found compelling, the other slightly ridiculous), the play was excellent. Liam Neeson did not, however, laugh at any of the lighter moments.

NYC - 1982

Some time ago, EBC forwarded me this collection of photos. I don't know where she found them, but they are great. From Flickr user 'Running with Scissors,' they are definitely worth a closer look.

Rave: Bahn Mi, Point Judith Seafood Shacks, Brickley's and Del's

Vietnamese sandwiches, Vietnamese street food. Until this summer, I had no idea that this was a specific thing (which isn't to say that I hadn't eaten them before). What can I say? They are absolutely delicious. I can unequivocally recommend Silent h on North 9th and Berry in Brooklyn and Banh Mi Saigon Bakery at Mott below Grand. Check out this Gridskipper post for more (and this Time Out New York "Cheap Eats" article for a wider variety of cheap sandwiches...)

While we're on the subject of eating, let's not forget Aunt Carrie's in Narragansett, RI, where clam cakes, lobster rolls, clam strip rolls, and chowder were the order of the night on Saturday evening, followed by rich, homemade ice cream at Brickley's on 1A, and preceded by a refreshing Del's on the beach. Who says you can't eat like a king in South County?

The Hold Steady @ Prospect Park, plus August Reading

The rain held off just enough last Thursday night to allow me to schlep my unfortunately and accidentally hungover self out to Park Slope to see the Hold Steady in Prospect Park. Having taken Boys and Girls in America and Separation Sunday out of regular rotation since packing up my CDs in San Jose in February, my enthusiasm for the Hold Steady has waned slightly. Nevertheless, I still think Craig Finn is one of the most ambitious lyricists working in rock and roll these days, and a couple of tracks from either album still bubble into my consciousness. And following a transcendent show last year at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco last year, where the band turned a three-quarters full and half-excited weeknight crowd into a frenzied, raving mess, I was excited to see the band again.

The legion of Hold Steady fans have grown larger in the intervening year, as evidenced by the many teeny-somethings crowding the bandshell, happily singing along to the sing along parts of the Hold Steady's recent anthems. The show, in all, was quite good, and even OES, who joined me was relatively impressed. While I prefer seeing the band in a slightly smaller setting, where Finn's spastic energy and the band's songs translate a little better, it was another enjoyable, relatively free outdoor performance in Brooklyn. Worth mention, also are the Big Sleep, who opened, and sounded like Led Zeppelin had been forced to listen to a lot of Galaxie 500 (or perhaps, Smog, given the odd, half-cover of "Teenage Spaceship" that kicked off the band's set), and decided they felt like sounding mostly like Zeppelin. A band that I am excited to see in a smaller venue, where their walls of sound and rhythmic interplay will be even better, I'm sure.

Since August isn't made for working, read these if you are bored at work:

- A PitchforkMedia "Guest List" feature with Patton Oswalt. I had a friend out in LA who used to work on the King of Queens TV show and was sort of friends with Patton. OE, my friend, always spoke highly of Patton as being both very funny and a genuinely nice person. Both come across in this guest list, along with an enthusiasm and a sort of outside-in perspective on hipsterism that I enjoy and sort-of share;
- An interesting interview excerpt of Lee Hazlewood by Dean Wareham, over at Dust Congress;
- A couple of dated Craig Finn interviews worth skimming. Given how energetic his stage presence is, it is sort of re-assuring that he comes across as a pretty normal guy in conversation.

Photos from Flickr user ezwal

Picture New York

The Mayor’s Office of Theater, Film, and Broadcasting, which coordinates film and television production and issues permits around the five boroughs, is considering rules that could potentially severely restrict the ability of even amateur photographers and filmmakers to operate in New York City. The NY Times reports that the city’s tentative rules include requiring any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour (including setup and breakdown time) to get a city permit and $1 million in liability insurance. The regulation would also apply to any group of five or more people who would be using a tripod for more than ten minutes, including setup and breakdown time. -(Excerpted from the Gothamist)

For the moment, the city government of New York has taken into reconsideration a set of regulations that would have deeply and adversely impacted the ability of creative people in New York to continue to be creative effectively. You have to applaud good government in reconsidering the proposed rules, which did not seem like good rules under any circumstance. It would have been shameful to make inaccessible the muse of New York city, the city itself, from one of its core constituencies, hungry, resourceful creative people who don't have a million dollars to spare. It appears that the issue may find a more appropriate resolution, but is worth watching still. Keep tabs at the Picture New York website.

SF: Hole in the Wall Dining

Gridskipper is a cool site about city life that I never have the time to read. It is one of those millions of websites that I should check out more often (too much information, perhaps?). Check out their recommendations on "SF's Best Hole in the Wall Restaurants." I've only been to Emmy's, which was a little hip, but the meatballs and the pasta were great.

UPDATE: More from Gridskipper:

Best under $5 drinks in Chicago, where it looks like I may be next week!
And as a special treat for RM, a guide to the veggieburgers in New York!
And a special treat for me (1 for 5 this summer...)

Spoon Live plus Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

A tough week at work, but was able to catch the Spoon show down at Rockefeller Park thanks to a rain delay. The skies opened up around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and it didn't look like I would make it home dry, much less get to see one of my favorite bands, and a band that I have somehow managed never to see live. By 7.30, when I left the office, the rain had let up enough for me to make the cross-town just-in-case trek to the lower west side, to see if I could catch the tail end of the Spoon show. Arriving at Rockefeller Park, I found a wet but game audience and Spoon just taking the stage. They played a relatively short fifty minute set, covering a lot of new material and some old favorites. Rockefeller Park was a beautiful outdoor venue in which to see a show, and despite the weather and the delay, Spoon were able to warm up a crowd that had waited out the rain for an hour. Worth the schlep.

I bought the new record, unfortunately titled Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, and can echo the sentiment of most of the reviews I've seen - it's a consistent record, taut and rhythmic, and living well within the framework laid out in previous efforts, particularly the most recent Gimme Fiction. Maybe they have gotten to popular, but I would kill to see Spoon in a smallish venue sometime soon.

One of the benefits of living in Williamsburg during the summer is the ability to take a quick walk down to McCarren Pool Park on a Sunday afternoon to catch one of the weekly free shows, which include a pretty good line-up of bands. Having spent most of the afternoon working, I snuck out to grab a diet Coke and catch the last few songs by Tommy McClain at the "Ponderosa Stomp." Admittedly, part of the draw was the "backed by Yo La Tengo" claim, but the funk, soul, and blues of Mr. McClain, his working of the not-jam packed but sweaty and grooving hipster crowd, and the general bliss of a hot Sunday afternoon where everybody was out made the trip well worth my while. Looking forward to more shows so close at hand.

Oh, This Heat

Murderous hot in New York City. Sweat dripping off every surface, the minute I setp out of my room. Not much to say, just four frome Weegee... and more if you like what you see!

White Rabbits/Art Brut @ Highline Ballroom

Just got back from Highline Ballroom, where I watched Art Brut and the White Rabbits. In truth, I came to check out Brooklyn's opening act, as I am quite pleased with their new record, as previously mentioned.

First, the headliners, Art Brut, who are kicking off a tour backing their new record. I must say that Eddie Argos is a true front-man in the post-punk spirit, and as I've come to expect of all Brits (and by my awful American extension, Scots), he is always clever, occasionally funny, and rarely that profound, in his lyrics and his stage presence. The band itself passes - best described as punchy, they are energetic and fun, a bit campy, but put on a good show, and that's what counts the most.

White Rabbits are a bit more my level - mellow, a bit melancholy, but with a deep rhythmic undercurrent. In fact, they've all but stolen my never-to-be-realized idea of playing with two drummers (sometimes adding a third percussionist), as well as a pianist and twin guitarists driving both the melody and the cacophony. Crashing atmospherics from pianos, cymbals, and strummed guitars gave way to dirty, scratched-out melodies. Falling somewhere between the Walkmen and the National, the Kinks and the Specials, the White Rabbits put on a good show.

As for the Highline Ballroom, it's nice to have a new venue in the city, and both the space and the sound were pretty good. Interlude music (BloodSugarSexMagik? MellonCollie and the Infinite Sadness?) left something to be desired, as did the house lighting. Or maybe I'm just getting old, and it's no longer cool to play good music between bands and keep the place dark while the bands are on. Or maybe I'm getting old, and doing the opposite is precisely what's cool.

Also, NG has some paintings and small installations up as part of a group show at Phillips De Pury gallery, on 15th St. and 9th Ave. Pop in if you are in the neighborhood, and turn right in the main gallery. His stuff is against the back wall. Also, find the girl who did the Olan Mills portraits. They were good, too.

Colour Before Color

Had a good night last night, out with KP and TG. Dinner at Empire Diner (just OK), preceded by a couple of galleries, of which the clear highlight was Hasted Hunt and the Colour Before Color exhibit. See it.

Summer Shows

Back in New York, wanna rock and roll. At a glance, here are the summer shows I'm looking out for (bold means that I'm really very serious). Come along, and tell me if I'm missing anything...

6/24 Superchunk w/ Oakley Hall, McCarren Pool Park (free)
6/25 Wilco w/ Low, Hammerstein
6/25 Taxi Taxi, Union Hall
6/28 Joan Jett, Pier 54 (free)
7/1 Fiery Furnaces w/ Dios (malos), Studio B
7/4 New Pornographers, Battery Park (free)
7/5 Shearwater, Castle Clinton (free)
7/6 A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Cake Shop
7/6 Chromeo, Studio B
7/7 Built to Spill w/ Cat Power, McCarren Pool Park
7/9 Art Brut w/ White Rabbits, Highline Ballroom
7/11 Spoon, Rockefeller Park (free)
7/17 Os Mutantes, Time Warner Center
7/18 and 7/25 They Might Be Giants, Bowery Ballroom
7/28 Sonic Youth, McCarren Pool Park
8/5 Blonde Redhead w/ I'm From Barcelona, McCarren Pool Park
8/9 The Hold Steady, Prospect Park
8/12 Ted Leo w/ The Thermals, McCarren Pool Park (free)
8/13 Junior Senior, Highline Ballroom
8/17 The National, South Street Seaport (free)
8/19 Wolf Parade, Warsaw
9/29 Magnolia Electric Co., Grammercy Theater

Brave New Worlds

At the margins of our known geography, some open country still exists. In a sense.

NG forwards me this article in the NYT about the Territory of KonungaRikena Elgaland-Vargaland (the Royal Kingdoms of Elgaland-Vargaland). Headed by two self-proclaimed and self-ordained kings,

The Kingdoms of Elgaland-Vargaland [KREV] were proclaimed in 1992 and consist of all Border Territories: Geographical, Mental & Digital. You are currently visiting the KREV digital territory as a citizen or as a tourist. You are encouraged to browse the digital territory of the Kingdoms - follow the links on the right.

Elgaland-Vargaland is the largest – and most populous realm on Earth, incorporating all boundaries between other nations as well as Digital Territory and other states of existence. Every time you travel somewhere, and every time you enter another form, such as the dream state, you visit Elgaland-Vargaland.

Kings Carl Michael von Hausswolff of Vargaland and Leif Elggren of Elgaland are pleased to welcome you and invite you to email them via the KREV admin office.

Their official website is worth a visit.

On a slightly more realizable note, the excellent architecture critic Witold Rybczynski, who writes for Slate.com, has an overview of proposed re-designs for New York's Governor's Island. This is an exciting project, certainly. Having spent the day walking through the small but elegant park that has been reclaimed along the Williamsburg waterfront at Kent and North 9th, and having long been an admirer of Olmsted's legacy, in New York (Central Park and Prospect Park) and elsewhere, I can only hope that a Governor's Island re-design is completed during my New York tenure. It will be a welcome addition to the many wonderful parks that help keep public life in New York vital.

Along with Rybczynski, I am most enamored by the possibilities of an expansive, open meadow as included in the proposal by Field Operations (illustrated above). The overview of the final five proposals (some illustrations below) in Slate.com by Rybczynski is definitely worth a look.

Dining Out in the Center of the Universe

Starting to settle in to the new apartment, the summer place, in Williamsburg, at Wythe and N. 7th. Neither as charming or babyful as Park Slope, but Williamsburg sure is happening. Hip-wise, it may still be the center of the universe. Along with a host of friends passing through town this week, it was eventful, even as I tried to make it uneventful, while battling a cold. A few notes on bars and restaurants for posterity:

Azul Bistro, Stanton and Suffolk, New York City, NY - Argentinian fare. Met up with AT, in from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and his rather large crew of friends and family. Azul Bistro (see New York Magazine listing) was selected on a recommendation by one of FT's friends, and it turned out to be quite good. While I had a filet mignon, I will certainly recommend the grilled skirt steak, which I sampled, and is a house specialty. With either mashed potatoes or fries, and a good red wine (of which the selection is quite ranging and good), you'll be satisfied. Probably about $40/per, or maybe $60/per if AT is ordering the wine... Extra marks for the Maradona and Che Guevara newsprint wall hangings...

Lotus Club, Stanton and Clinton, New York City, NY. Not to be confused with the other, schmancier Lotus, if it still exist. Lotus on the LES (see Yelp) has been an old stand-by for a place to grab a mellow drink, since TL used to drag me down there when his friends were DJ-ing. Got a few drinks with LM, in from London, and CD and NG. Keep it in the back pocket, for when you need a quieter night in Manhattan.

The Orchard,Orchard St. at Stanton St, New York City, NY. Met up with RM, JP, and LM for dinner, on account of JP and LM being in town from London. Failed to have tolerance for the wait at Barrio Chino, so we roamed around until we stumbled into Orchard. RM commented that the decor reminded him of a hotel restaurant. This was apt. The sour apple and goat cheese salad and the ravioli were both excellent. The wine was OK, the menu a little pricey. LM's conversation, as always, priceless. Good if you are first dating a management consultant, or maybe need to take your parents out to dinner. A NYT review that is puzzlingly effusive, just for you.

Pete's Candy Store, Lorimer St. at Richardson St., Brooklyn, NY. Met up with HP, CC, GB, who were in from far-flung locales, plus friends. Had a few beers. Pete's is great, one of many indie-rock sanctuaries that dot the Brooklyn landscape. Always nice people around, live music most nights in the back room, a nice back yard, and good music in the front room (GBV off an iPod). Can't complain.

The Blue Bar at the Algonquin Hotel, 44th St. btw/ 5th and 6th, New York City, NY. If you have a good friend who likes the old ways - old bars, old drinks, old stories, and old men - and you have a couple of hours to kill in midtown, then the Blue Bar is as likely a place as any to get a little sozzled and miss a train or two. JWW and I caught up for a couple of gins, talkin' about old times (i.e., the trip to San Diego last week) and home repairs. Worth a stop, but it'll cost you for your drinks.

Nita Nita, North 8th and Wythe, Brooklyn, NY - off-the-path tapas bar. Turned up with a slightly rowdy foursome of boys (JAW, DR, and newby MM). The music was excellent (think atmospheric indie-rock), the chorizo was excellent, the cheese plate was too small, and the rest of the food was reasonably good. Beautiful back yard. Would recommend it for drinks and a small bit, but not necessarily dinner. A little pricey ($30/per to fill up) and they don't take credit cards. May shoot for a bar night here this summer. For more, see this L magazine write-up.

Two un-named bars in the Williamsburg hinterlands will be excused from review. Part of JAW and my enjoyable but poorly considered jaunt out into a humid Brooklyn night. One place was a converted loft with three young ladies playing very bad noise rock, the other a biker bar where six dollars and two spins of the Wheel of Drinks bought us a PBR and a shot of Jaegermeister. I've done this before, don't necessarily need to again.

Sweetwater, N. 6th between Berry and Wythe, Brooklyn, NY. DR and I joined JAW for a post-poker nightcap at Sweetwater, at the invitation of one of JAW's lady friends. Didn't have anything to eat, but the friendly and charming wait staff assured us the food was good. The winning touches here were a lovely raised garden seating area out back, and the decision to play the entirety of And Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out as a quiet close to a quiet evening. Citysearch review, which also claims that this is part of the Patois-Schnak-etc. dynasty, for your perusal.

I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City / Madmen

Spending a few days in New York City, sure gonna miss this place if it turns out that I head back out to the west coast. That's for sure. At the moment, sitting in JWW's apartment, listening to Bob Dylan's radio show. The theme of this show? New York City. Currently, Bob is playing Harry Nilsson's "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City."

Rough paraphrase of a great Bob Dylan line from the show: "Well, it's sunny and warm in Los Angeles, while it's cold and rainy in New York city. But in New York, there are six million interesting people, while in Los Angeles, there are 72."

JWW listens to the Dylan show regularly. I should be, too.

Stumbled across the following very promising-looking blog this morning. Take a look. Particularly their Madmen of the 20th Century gallery. [Courtesy of the always excellent Dust Congress blog]

Cynthia Daignault at Plane Space

CD opened up her first solo gallery show in NYC last weekend, at Plane Space. She is a painter of enormous talent, intellect, and humor - and her paintings, luminescent renderings of everyday scenes juxtaposed with some very high-concept art in-jokes (or vice versa), reflect that entirely. Fun to look at, fun to laugh at. If you are in New York, see her show. And buy her paintings.